Cabin Pressure: It's a Martin II
by ko-writes
Summary: Prompt: Arthur finds an alien plant that a Chinese man sold them. Arthur gets famous from the plant, and everyone wants to see the plant. Arthur falls in love with Martin, the young helper in 'Knapp-Shappey's Flower Shop' on Skid Row. OC or Douglas to be Orin the Evil dentist, and of course Carolyn would be Mushnik. TW: Domestic Violence, Implied Rape/Non-con, Forced Feminization


Arthur was stacking shelves, checking the inventory in the back room as Carolyn was on the shop floor.

He and his mother - well, adoptive mother - ran the flower shop on, what Fitton referred to as, Skid Row. The shop was called Knapp-Shappey's flowers; but he and Carolyn nicknamed it MFN - My Flowers Now - out of triumph against Carolyn's ex-husband Gordon.

The radio played some eighties rubbish that he didn't know the context of:

 _Little shop,_

 _Little shop of horrors -_

He shut it off so he could concentrate more.

"Where on earth is that boy?" Carolyn complained loudly, "He never used to be late and now he he's late everyday! It's four o'clock, he's eight hours late; we're only open for another hour! I bet it's that delinquent boyfriend of his!" She opened her newspaper and began to read and began to read about the total solar eclipse that happened last Thursday.

"Delinquent boyfriend of who's?" Asked a small, soft voice, in a fake high pitch.

"Martin," Carolyn began, eyes still on the paper, "If you're going to work here, can you at least be on -" She looked up and was instantly rendered speechless.

Martin had a black, swollen eye, his lip was torn and purple bruises decorated his face as well as painful looking aggressive 'love'-bites on his neck. Martin had tried to cover them up with the makeup his boyfriend made him wear - but it didn't work. He was also wearing a red shirt, but Carolyn could see blood stains on his collar and the cuffs. She also noticed the buttons were on the wrong side to be a man's shirt and the trousers were the wrong cut.

"Sorry Carolyn," Martin apologised, "I just -"

"Let me guess, you got tied up," Carolyn drawled. She was angry; not at Martin, but that boyfriend of his.

"No... Just handcuffed a little..." Martin admitted, pulling down his sleeves.

"Martin," Carolyn tutted, grabbing his arm; she tried to ignore how he flinched. She unbuttoned the cuff of his shirt - blouse, really - and rolled them up.

Martin's wrists were a mess. His pale skin was bruised and raw and chaffed where he'd obviously been pulling at the restraints. "Sorry Carolyn..."

"What happened to your face?" Carolyn demanded.

"M-my face?" Martin evaded, going to get the accounts books.

"Yes, all those bites and bruises. It's him, isn't it? He's beating you again," Carolyn accused.

Arthur may have been busy and concentrating, but he heard that. How could Martin's boyfriend do that to him?! If he was going out with Martin, he'd - he'd -

Martin and heard a startled yell and a loud crash as Arthur fell off the step ladder, taking all the ceramic pots with him. Martin grimaced, trying to forget how he flinched.

"Arthur, careful with the stock!" Carolyn called down.

"Sorry, Carolyn!" Arthur apologised.

Carolyn sighed and turned back to Martin, "You said he changed! Not that I'd believe that for a single second..."

"H-he... He's not _beating me_! He j-just... just got carried away..." Martin stuttered.

"Martin, I'm not stupid. And he's making you dress like a woman and wear makeup again!"

"I-it's fine! I-I'm fine! It's under c-control!" Martin exclaimed.

"Martin -"

"I have control!"

"Fine, I give up! It's none of my business! but I'm beginning to think he's maybe not such a nice man," Carolyn frowned.

"You don't meet nice man when you live on Skid Row, Carolyn..." Martin sighed.

"I got these pots unloaded for you, Carolyn..." Arthur informed, walking into the room with several trays of plants; but he tripped over his feet and fell, sending trays of pots flying across the room.

"Arthur, you clot!" Carolyn shouted.

"Don't yell at Arthur, Carolyn," Martin dissuaded softly in that faux-feminine voice used for his boyfriend's sake.

"Oh, hi Martin," Arthur greeted, looking up from the floor.

"I'll help him clean it up before any of the customers get here," Martin assured.

"Well that should give you plenty of time!" Carolyn exclaimed, "Look God, what an existence I have! Misfit employees, beggars on the pavement, business is awful. My life is a living hell!" She stepped outside and yelled at three teenage boys on the street, "Hey, you. Urchins! No loitering!"

"I wasn't loitering. Were you, Goerge?" One asked.

"Not me, Karl. Were you, Phil?" George enquired.

"You should be in school!" Carolyn yelled after them as they walked away.

"We're on a split shift," Phil smirked.

"That's right. We went to school until fifth grade, then we split," Karl explained triumphantly.

"How do you intend to better yourselves?" Carolyn questioned.

"Better ourselves? You hear what he said? Better ourselves? Girl, when you're from Skid Row, ain't no such thing," George shrugged.

 ** _Alarm goes off at seven_** ****

 ** _And you start uptown_** ****

 ** _You put in your eight hours_** ****

 ** _For the powers that have always been_** ****

 **Sing it, child.**

 _ **Till it's five p.m.**_ __

 ** _Then you go_** ****

 ** _Downtown_** ****

 ** _Where the folks are broke_**

 ** _You go downtown_** ****

 ** _Where your life's a joke_**

 ** _You go downtown_** ****

 ** _Where you buy your token and go_**

 ** _All: Home to Skid Row_**

Yes, you go

 ** _Downtown_**

 ** _Where the cabs don't stop_**

 _ **Downtown**_

 _ **Where the food is slop**_ __

 _ **Downtown**_ __

 _ **Where the hopheads flop in the snow**_

 _Down on Skid Row_

 ** _Uptown, you cater to a million jerks_** ****

 ** _Uptown, you're messengers_**

 ** _And mailroom clerks_** ****

 ** _Eating all your lunches_**

 ** _At the hotdog carts_** ****

 ** _The bosses take your money_**

 ** _Then they break your hearts_**

Carolyn sat Martin down in the back room and began cleaning his wrists.

 ** _Uptown you cater to a million whores_**

 ** _You Disinfect terrazzo_**

 ** _On their bathroom floors_**

 ** _Your morning's tribulation, afternoon's a curse_**

 ** _And five o'clock is even worse_**

 ** _Downtown_** ****

 _Where the guys are drips_

 ** _Downtown_** ****

Martin gasped as Carolyn turned his wrist.

 _Where they rip your slips_

 ** _Downtown_** ****

He slipped back into his some-what deep masculine voice.

 _Where relationships are no go_

 ** _Down on Skid Row_** ****

Arthur scrubbed the floor on his knees.

 **Poor**

 **A** **ll my life I've always been poor**

 **I keep asking God what I'm for**

 **And he tells me, 'Gee, I'm not sure.**

 **Sweep that floor, kid.**

 **Oh.**

Arthur got up to sweep the floor.

 **I started life as an orphan**

 **A child of the street**

 **Here on Skid Row**

 **She took me in, gave me shelter, a bed**

 **Crust of bread and a job**

 **Treats me like dirt**

 **Calls me a slob, which I am**

 **So I live**

 ** _Downtown_** ****

 **That's your home address**

 ** _You live Downtown_** ****

 **When your life's a mess**

 ** _You live Downtown_** ****

 **Where depression's just... status quo**

 **Down on Skid Row**

 **Someone show me a way to get outa here**

 **Cause I constantly pray I'll get outa here**

 **Please, won't somebody say I'll get outa here**

 **Someone give me my shot or I'll rot here**

 **Show me how and I will**

 ** _Downtown_** ****

 **I'll get outa here**

 ** _There's no rules for us_**

 **I'll start climbing uphill**

 ** _Who live_** ****

 **And get outa here**

 ** _Downtown_** ****

 **Someone tell me cause it's dangerous to**

 **I still could get outa here live**

 **Someone tell Lady Luck Downtown**

 **That I'm stuck here Where the rainbows just a no-show**

 **When you live**

Arthur stared out of the window and Martin looked into the distance as Carolyn cleaned his wounds in the back room.

 _ **Gee, it sure would be swell**_

 ** _Downtown_** ****

 _ **To get outa here**_

 ** _Where the sun don't_** ****

 _ **Bid the gutter farewell**_

 ** _shine_** ****

 ** _And get outa here_**

 ** _Downtown_** ****

 ** _l'd move heaven and hell_**

 ** _Past the bottom line_** ****

 _ **To get outa Skid**_

 ** _Downtown_** ****

 _ **l'd do I don't know what**_

 ** _Go ask any Wino_** ****

 _ **To get outa Skid**_

 ** _He'll know_** ****

 _ **But a hell of a lot**_

 ** _Downtown_** ****

 _ **To get outa Skid**_

 ** _Downtown_** ****

 _ **People tell me there's not Downtown!**_

 ** _Skid_** ****

 _ **A way outa Skid**_

 _ **But believe me, I gotta g**_ ** _et outa Skid Row!_**


End file.
